My mind has undoubtedly turned to mush. This past week I have lost anything of importance. It started with my passport. I tried to find it one night to show a friend my visa picture I had for Spain that looks like a mugshot. I searched my room five times over with no luck. I figured it may be at work, although I had no memory of leaving it there. Luckily, in the morning before going to work I found it jammed in the back of my case that holds all my adapters. The night before I had opened the case each time I searched the room, but the color of the passport almost matches the case's color.
Next was my keys, which was nothing more than an annoyance just because I would have to shed some cash to buy the copies. That was until I realized that the key to my New York bike lock was attached. I would have had to saw off the lock and buy my fifth lock purchase when I returned back to the States. But it wasn't necessary since I found the keys under a pile of clothes in the corner of my room and immediately removed the key to my bike lock.
On Guatemala's día de independencia (Happy independence day a few days late!), I almost lost my umbrella in a minibus, but someone gave it to me as I was leaving. The next day, I put money in a mini-wallet. It probably held no more than $10, but that has yet to be found. And my most recent absent-minded loss was a scarf that I left at a construction site. Good thing volunteers left the site after me, and it is now sitting safely in my room.
I would like to know why my brain has diminished to one of an old lady with dementia. It would be nice to have some sort of excuse, like for example, an extreme intake of drugs. At least then a reasonable solution could maybe change this obnoxious pattern that has started... I could stop taking the toxic brain-eraser and all would be well. However, I have not inhaled, swallowed or absorbed any form of drugs beside alcohol, which I have not even had in large quantities (for the most part). Hopefully this is a weird phase of the week that will quickly disappear. Seriously, it's getting old REALLY fast.
Besides my bird brain, everything has been going well. This past week we (finally!) had two volunteers arrive after a three-week hiatus. A volunteer coordinator without her volunteers is a lonely life, especially because it meant I spent about 80% of the past weeks in the office sending e-mails to spread the word of Constru Casa to alternative spring breaks and possible volunteers. Let's just say this was not the most thrilling job, and any chance to get out of the office was a welcome field trip. I did get to visit a few communities to meet families that either have received or will be receiving a house in the future.
One of the trips was around the time I realized the flea problem in my other house had not gone away. I woke up stressed to find more bites that made me want to rip my skin off. The whole day I was plagued by thoughts of how to get rid of the little devils. I felt trapped and had no idea what to do. I felt like whatever I did made no difference and I would be stuck with them the rest of my life. It put a damper on a day that I could have otherwise really enjoyed.
My coworkers Stefan, Ranferi and I drove to a town close to El Nispero, which was our final destination. We met Nina, the director for an organization that provides health, education and social work services to remote communities, including El Nispero. Since the roads had turned to a muddy mess in the rainy season we had to take a different pick-up truck toward the town that could pass the roads with no problem. However, the truck could not take us directly to the houses because the roads basically were nonexistent halfway through our trip. The rain washes this road away every rainy season. We had to walk the rest of the way. Not a problem, I thought. The view was incredible, so it was like a day of hiking while I worked. I did not realize we would have to hike for about six more hours going from house to house.
Nina pointed out a waterfall that is El Nispero's main water source during the dryer summer months. She told us to pay attention to how much more we had to walk to reach the first house. About a half hour later, we arrived at the house of Sara, one of the women who works on Nina's project. From there, we had another half hour walk to meet the first of five families that would receive a Constru Casa house. Our day of hiking that was a hassle is the reality for these families that have to walk a long distance during the dry season to get their most basic need, water.
This family's house looked like many I have seen since working in Guatemala. It was a two-room structure that included a kitchen and a bedroom where the whole family crams in to sleep. They did not even have a bathroom of any sort. As far as I know, I had never met a family before that completely lacked any form of a toilet. The other four houses we visited that day had at least a hole in the ground that made up for a toilet, but this family did not even have that.
Despite visiting the families and seeing all that they do not have, I still was preoccupied about my bug issue. I realized how obscure my problem was compared to the daily problems these families face. If the worst thing they had to deal with were fleas, I have a feeling they would be extremely thankful. I felt selfish and foolish, but I couldn't stop thinking about what to do. I was like a bratty child that could only think of herself amidst other people's suffering. What impresses me so much about Guatemalans is that no matter their circumstances, they always give the impression that things could be worse. Whether they actually feel that way or not, I am not sure.
Since the volunteers' arrival last weekend, I have been to the work site every day to visit them, except Wednesday, Guatemala's Independence Day. Constru Casa works with a school in a town called El Esfuerzo. They built a house for the director of the school and his family. Miriam the director's wife is talkative friendly lady who felt it her duty to make sure that me and the volunteers stayed safe this week. She walked us every day to the site, even when I said it wasn't necessary. She insisted, saying it was not safe and Ranferi would get mad at her if anything happened to us. She invited me back to her house a couple of times for food. It still amazes me that although these families have so little, they always try to give back to friends and guests. It almost makes me feel guilty, but at the same time I don't want to be offensive and say no.
On Tuesday, I asked Sarbelio one of the masons how he planned to celebrate independence day. I did not get the answer I expected. "What is there to celebrate?" he said. "We are independent from Spain, but we aren't independent." He said the only people who have power are the small percentage at the top. "To me it's a day that I don't have to work, and nothing more," he said. I didn't know how to react. I wondered what he thinks of me, a well off American who has the luxury to travel all over the world and see places in his own country he will never see in his lifetime.
Although Sarbelio did not think much of Independence Day, I was excited to break up the week with a day off. I went on my first trip to the coast in Monterrico with Bryan. We woke up at 4am, since they had told me the day before that the direct chicken bus to Monterico leaves at 5 in the morning. They apparently did not think it was important to mention that the bus does not leave on holidays. Instead, we had to switch buses three times, which, according to the guidebooks, is such a headache you should instead pay over double the price for a private bus. In actuality, it was slightly annoying, but not as difficult as they made it seem.
We spent most of the day as most Guatemalans, relaxing watching the parades go by. It's mostly students wearing different outfits, dancing or playing instruments. Guatemala also seems to love fireworks that don't actually have a colorful explosion. You can hear the fireworks throughout the year, not just on Independence Day. Personally, I can't stand them. They are in no way beautiful since they have no color and they sound exactly like gunshots. The first time I heard them in Guatemala, I froze in a panic, thinking someone was shooting.
Since we were on the coast, we naturally thought we could go for a swim. However, Monterico has violent waves that drag you under, and it is pretty dangerous. One of the waves pulled me in and dragged me right into Bryan, and I knocked him over like a bowling pin. By the end, we were full of sand. Later, we could wash off and go for an actual swim when we went on a boat tour through Monterico's natural reserve. We went through a shallow river that was covered by trees that made a túnel natural. My one disappointment of the day was we never saw the turtles that Monterico is famous for. But overall, it was a very successful Independence Day.
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